PASSENGERS

LECTURE BY CÉSAR DEZFULI

15.09.2023, 7 PM

César Dezfuli, Journalist and photographer from Barcelona

and also World Press Photo Winner in the category Open Format (Europe) 

gives an insight into his award-winning project in his talk.

Please register with: anmeldung@westlicht.com

On 1 August 2016, a boat with 118 people on board was found drifting off the coast of Libya on its way to Italy. The boat was one of many that attempted the crossing this year - just a fraction of the migration movement from Africa to Europe that is mostly reported in abstract numbers in the European news media as a humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, over 300,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe in 2016, and 3,211 were reported dead or missing while trying to reach Europe. Who are the people behind these numbers and what happens to them after they arrive in Europe?

The Passengers project by César Dezfuli, created as a multimedia website for the Dutch daily De Volkskrant, highlights the personal stories of people who were on the ship in 2016 and are trying to build a new life on the continent. Some have found a new home, others a temporary home, and still others are still drifting, doubting the decision to leave the country of their birth. What all these stories have in common is that they contrast the abstract numbers and the depiction of highly individual lives and personal struggles.

Cesar Dezfuli (* 1991, Madrid), is a journalist and documentary photographer. Since 2016, he has been reporting on the European migration crisis and its focal point in the Mediterranean. Born in Madrid as the son of a migrant, he has a special relationship with this topic. Since 2019, he has published regularly in the newspapers De Volkskrant and Le Monde. In addition, his work has been published in various international media such as The Guardian, Time, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Aljazeera or BBC.

Please register with: anmeldung@westlicht.com

César Dezfuli